Australian Journal of Emergency Management | AJEM

The Australian Journal of Emergency Management is pleased to continue the Viewpoints series in this edition. Established in April 2022, Viewpoints critically explores crosscutting and emerging issues by canvassing a range of informed perspectives from experts and practitioners in response to a ‘seed’ article that poses a timely argument or issue for the emergency management sector.

This edition, the seed article is authored by Dr Lisa Ewenson from the University of New South Wales’ HowWeSurvive initiative. The article asks why social work is underrecognised in disaster management, and what can be done about it. Dr Ewenson argues that ‘expanding the recognition of social work expertise to mitigation, preparation, response and recovery more broadly could help challenge and address the underlying systems, and significant resource imbalances, which create the deeply uneven landscapes that make disasters so difficult for so many’.

Five responses explore the issue, touching on the correlation between natural hazards, homelessness and trauma, and the challenges of high staff-turnover and the temporary nature of many recovery roles.

Associate Professor Melissa Parsons
AJEM Editor-in-Chief
University of New England